US warship heads for Black Sea via Bosphorus strait

The U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun is seen passing through the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, March 7, 2014. A U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun is passing through the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul on Friday afternoon on its way to Black Sea. It will participate in a tactical drill in the northwestern part of the Black Sea on March 11, along with one frigate from Bulgaria and three ships from Romania. (Xinhua/Lu Zhe)

ISTANBUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun is passing through the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul on Friday afternoon on its way to Black Sea.

The U.S. warship made the movement as fears grow that the standoff between Russia and Ukraine and the West over Crimea could soon become militarized.

A Turkish coast guard boat is escorting the U.S. warship during its voyage along the Bosphorus strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia.

Turkey's 31 km long strait has witnessed intense warships traffic this week following the Russian warships 150 Saratov and 156 Yamal's passages to the Black Sea on Monday and Ukrainian Hetman Sahaydachny headed to Ukraine on the same day.

Crimea is home to Russia's Black Sea military base in Sevastopol. It is reported that Russia has increased military forces following the Ukraine crisis.

The U.S. Navy said in a statement that the Truxtun left Greece on Thursday en route to the Black Sea and would conduct training with Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces.

Truxtun with 300 sailors on board passed through the Dardanelle Strait in Canakkale province of Turkey on Friday morning. A Turkish coast guard boat escorted the warship during its passage.